Modesta Amulungu

At work

Interning at HAAF and CO (HACO) was a life changing experience. HACO was founded in 1922 and overtime evolved into one of the leading food manufacturing companies in Switzerland. HACO specialises in tailor made food products such as culinary, coffee/tea drinks, cereal bars among the many 3500 products they produce. The overall aim is to produce food that is fit for human consumption, food that matters, food that makes a difference and to shape a greater HACO team.

Being an intern on the HACO quality assurance team gave me insights on the art and hard work that goes into producing food. I have learned the importance of food safety and quality control through the various tasks that were given to me in the microbiology and analytics laboratories. I was tasked to test for microorganisms that can cause foodborne illnesses such as Salmonella, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens etc, do environmental hygiene quality control, chemical analysis on food just to mention a few. I was also given the opportunity to work with the research and development department (RND) on two projects which involved developing new products for clients such as a sauce for salmon, riz casimir, taste food products and see if they are up to standard. I loved having a hands-on experience as it helped me better understand the theoretical knowledge I have gained so far, improved on my existing skills and it gave me a sense of direction in my career. Moreover, the internship taught me different and valuable lessons that went beyond the theoretical knowledge I have gained in university. I have learned how to communicate and interact better, how to work in a new and fast paced environment, the importance of food safety and quality control, how to manage time, I have learned good work ethics and that it is fine to make mistakes as long as you learn from it.

It was also a privilege to work with professionals who are focused, passionate and knowledgeable about their work, it motivated me to do my part and contribute to the vision and goals of HACO. I am grateful for the positive criticism, feedback and advice from my team members as it allowed to me to learn and grow as a professional.

My Swiss host family

Living with the Maurer Fankhauser family was filled with memorable moments. I felt at home the second I stepped foot in Christine’s house. My host mother, Christine and her family are very open minded and fun people to be around. Christine always made sure that we spend time together as a family during dinner every night and breakfast on weekends so that we can bond and enjoy different Swiss dishes from Rösti, salads to different types of cheese. That is one of the most memorable lessons I will take with from the Maurer Fankhauser family. My host family made sure that we were integrated into the Burgdorf community, had the ultimate Swiss culture experience and explored Switzerland as much as possible, they were never too busy for us.

 I am grateful to Christine and her family for the love they have shown me, the laughter, funny stories, jokes, dancing moments they have truly made these three months unforgettable

Highlights and challenges in Switzerland

My highlights:

• Learning about food production and coffee extraction, as well as the different tests and analysis done on food and the reasons thereof.

• Producing a salmon sauce for a client was also very interesting, because the client wanted the sauce to have an orange colour like a salmon. It took a few trials of mixing and changing ingredients, cooking and testing the sauce for us to get it right.  

• Exploring Switzerland with my fellow B360 colleagues was funny and a learning experience. We got lost together, argued, laughed, experienced the beauty of Switzerland and neighbouring countries as a team, took pictures and created unforgettable memories.

• Dinner with my host family, as we always had a new Swiss dish and my Swiss family trying out Namibian food and the conversations were always interesting.

• When I came to Switzerland one of my goals was to learn how to swim and I can proudly say that I have achieved it.

My challenges:

• Language barrier was a challenge as not everyone speaks English, so I had to improvise by thinking of an Afrikan word that sounds similar to German and it worked sometimes.

• The train system was confusing at first, I got lost once and another time I did not know how to open the bus doors almost screamed at the bus driver to stop the bus, but I figured it out later and laughed at myself for not reading signs.

• Taking the weather conditions lightly in Switzerland and consequently ended up feeling too cold, hot or getting soaked by the rain.

• Being a second too late in Switzerland can disrupt your whole day, because everything and everyone here works with perfect timing. I missed the bus and train a few times which frustrated me but also taught me to be earlier.

My future plans

I plan to take up French classes, because it’s the second most common language after English. Learning French will be beneficial to my personal and career life, because it is an official language in many important international organizations that I want to work or corporate with one day. It will also help me better understand other countries cultures, history and social behaviour, which I believe is very important for Environmental Health Sciences. In addition, I want to help improve on Namibia’s health sector in terms of disease prevention and control. Therefore, I have decided to pursue a masters degree in field epidemiology which involves studying diseases, how they affect the health of the public and what preventative and control measures we can implement. I have realised that people in Switzerland do a lot of volunteering work from being firefighters to serving on school board committees and so much more and I want to do the same back in Namibia. I will start volunteering to do work that will make a difference in my community instead of waiting to be asked to do it or expecting payment.

Part of my future plans is also to travel Namibia and the world. I have learned valuable lessons ever since I came to Switzerland, got exposed to different cultures, social behaviour and it has helped me put life into perspective regarding so many things. I want more of that, so I will make it a point to travel and learn through my travels.

Personal message

Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. B360 and Partners thank you for realising the importance of education and empowering Southern African youth to make their own positive impact on the world.